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Hammond erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning en route to a 12-6 victory over Pearl River Wednesday at Chapapella Park.

The former district rivals knew each other well and Pearl River (2-5) appeared to have the game in hand early, producing four base runners in the first five at-bats. Abby Mayfield, who went 1-2 with an RBI, doubled to center to score Alyssa Ross, who reached on a leadoff walk. Renee Jordan followed with a single down the left field line, bringing in Mayfield for the 2-0 lead.

Keeping the pressure on, the Rebels added three more in the second, from an RBI bunt single from Ross and an unearned run when Kasey Helms came in from third on an error. However, they gave the run back in the bottom half of the inning when Kasey Sheridan scored for Hammond (7-5) in similar fashion.

The lone run was a sign of things to come as Hammond would claw its way back, one run at a time.

“We can’t expect to win when we don’t make the plays we’re supposed to,” Pearl River Coach Courtney Labourdette said. “We also have to play more like we want to win.”

Adding one run at a time from the second to the fifth inning seemed to put new life into a Hammond team that seemed destined for a loss after the early stages of the game. An RBI single by Natalie Gunter plus an unearned run cut the Pearl River lead to 6-5 in the fifth.

“As the game went on, we felt like we had the momentum even though we were behind,” Sheridan said. “We just went at it one at-bat at a time, and that kept the pressure off of us.”

With only one more inning to go, Pearl River’s grip on the lead was slipping, and loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth set the stage for a seven-run outburst, started by Samantha Cetta’s two-run single, giving the Tornadoes a 7-6 advantage. It didn’t stop there as the Rebels struggled to get their first out, which came after Sheridan’s two-run home run.

“I was very proud of the way our girls kept battling,” Hammond Coach Renell Gunter said. “It was a matter of us starting to make plays in the field and help our cause at the plate by getting hits with runners in scoring position.”

Pearl River plays its first game of the season in District 8-4A on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Franklinton, and Hammond plays at Mandeville on Thursday in a District 6-5A contest.